Yes, another reluctant fact that I've learned about audio is that cabling matters a lot. Wish I couldn't hear their benefits sometimes. I started off small and then went large with power cords, because they really do change the sonic texture and timbres subtly to not so subtly. I have spent big dollars on power cords but they're long-lived products, and I simply prioritize my spending on stereo stuff and music and damn the tropedos, something I can do without a wife and with (still, somehow) some money in the bank.

Getting back to my original question, what would be the benefits or drawbacks of pairing my Mini-Torii with, say, the CSP2+?

I know a forum member (Hank) last year posted on using his Mini with a CSP2 to get more 'oomph' from the Mini. Small powered amps have two limitations, volume and 'oomph' (or whatever you want to call it).

The loudness or SPL is a matter of choosing the adequate speaker specs and listening room area volume. The second attribute is more tricky, I think. It is a combination of recording/sourcing quality and the amp's built-in 'pep' or dynamics or headroom or whatever you may call it.

IMHO, it should never be a bad thing to boost the Mini Torii's 'oomph' via an added preamplifier, just to ride the gain when necessary. This can really boost the dynamics and sense of power under the same conditions, thanks to a power reserve on the input side.

Steve has written somewhere here that this could be a better way to improve your sourcing. Typically, this is ideal in the case of, say, a Superzen, as it is even less powerful than the Mini. But, as everything is relative, any amp can benefit (IMO) from this concept.

Of course, there would be some preamp duplication in the Mini's case, and one would be better off maybe just not buying the Mini and instead getting a Torii (adding the cost of both components is more or less in the same ballpark).

But in my case, I don't need more volume or power, just would like to have more 'oomph'. A DAC upgrade would provide better resolution, but not 'oomph.' My resolution levels are fine (especially after some useful tube-rolling), I just would like to boost that sound a bit in some recordings that are yelling to be played with power reserve so it can show it's recording dynamics.

There are also other recordings calling for the opposite, in which case the gain game can be reversed with the result of leaning out a too constipated or boomy sound.

Anyways, this is what I was aiming to discuss originally in this thread, as alternatives 2a & 2b. Which is also why I've always liked the ZStage concept (as some of you may recall from earlier threads, even before my Mini had arrived :) ).

I know I need to fix power conditioning and vibration issues first, but I'd like to have my long-term plan complete, so I can start working in that direction.